Aug 28, 2006

Extracted from NSTALOR STAR: From being a former prime minister and Umno president to a pariah, this is how Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad described his situation nowadays.

Dr Mahathir, who once ruled the party and the nation for 22 years, said he was insulted that the party was now trying to gag him.

And he was upset at what he deemed a new party culture whereby those who wished to speak up were censored and heaped with insults.

"This seems to be the new party culture. They prevent members from speaking up and only those who support them get to speak.

"I am the former party president yet they don�t want me to talk to the members. I can�t even meet them. Universities are barred from inviting me and newspapers are prevented from reporting about me.

"I am becoming a pariah in the party," he said at the Sultan Abdul Halim airport here.

When asked about Kubang Pasu Umno Youth, which passed a resolution calling for his biggest critic � Minister in the Prime Minister�s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz to be sacked from the party and Cabinet � Dr Mahathir said he did not care either way what happened to Nazri.

Dr Mahathir who recently announced his plans to become a delegate at the party�s general assembly in November, said he would raise a number of issues if given a chance to speak at the event.

However, he said there were plans to stifle him. "I know they will cut me out. Even if I am selected as a delegate, I may not get a chance to speak as the Menteri Besar (Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid) may not choose me."